After Lapis had stormed out of the room, Peridot followed her to make sure she was okay. And to make sure that no one discovered her. Thankfully, she hadn't gone too far. Peridot found Lapis standing at the edge of the cul-de-sac, pacing. The water nymph was trembling and clearly agitated. Peridot could not imagine how Lapis was feeling at this point. For centuries Jasper had kept her prisoner under false pretenses. But, she was not the only lackey under Jasper's control. Peridot wondered why Jasper needed Lapis when she already had power and other nymphs to help her. Though, she considered, it could be that Jasper had full control over Lapis. Jasper had something over Lapis. Not only that but she used intimidation and threats to keep her under control. Lapis almost made it too easy. Why would she give that up?
Peridot tried her best to be understanding and patient when she consoled Lapis. This was not her area of expertise, and she wasn't quite sure if she completely sympathized with Lapis. She was torn between her hatred for the feared Water Witch and the pity for the broken girl sharing her room. Two entities; one being. Once they returned back to Peridot's room, Lapis refused to speak to the others. She barely even talked to Peridot. She muttered something about sleeping and curled up in Peridot's bed. Peridot wasn't too happy about her bed being taken again. The others quietly left, apparently bewildered by this new development.
Once they were gone, Peridot changed into an oversized shirt. At first, she was tempted to kick Lapis out of her bed. She stared at Lapis, studying her for a moment. The water nymph wore a pained expression; her brows were furrowed; her lips were pursed in a thin line. Her blue hair fell lazily over her face. The bruises and cuts that had marred her flesh were slowly fading. It was strange how vulnerable and delicate Lapis looked. Peridot sighed and crawled next to Lapis. I am not giving up my bed, Peridot thought. But, I don't have to heart to kick her out. Lapis made a sound of protest in her sleep but shifted over to give Peridot room.
"Why were you staring," Lapis asked without opening her eyes. Peridot felt her cheeks burn and quickly laid down with her back toward Lapis.
"I was debating about kicking you out of my bed," she replied, grumpily, pulling the sheet over her body and trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Sorry. It's just warmer in the bed, and I was cold. I thought you would make me move eventually," Lapis mumbled. Peridot felt Lapis get up and scoot off the bed. She rolled her eyes, turning over and propped herself up to watch Lapis settled into her cot without saying another word. Lapis pulled the blanket over her head and turned away from Peridot. Peridot grumbled under her breath, feeling conflicted. She knew that cot was uncomfortable, and Pearl had given her a pretty thin blanket. She cursed to herself for letting guilt get to her.
"Come on. I'll get you come warmer blankets tomorrow." Lapis sat up, looking at her with confusion. Peridot moved over and lifted up the blanket, motioning at the open spot she had made for her. "You can sleep in the bed tonight."
"With you?"
"Yeah with me. I am not completely giving up my bed." There was a stoic look of contemplation on Lapis' face. She stared with wide, unblinking blue eyes at Peridot. It made Peridot wonder what was going on through her head. She seemed lost in some internal conflict. Finally, Lapis shook her head and laid back down onto the cot.
"Good night."
"Yeah. Night."
"No, no, no," Peridot cried in frustration and surprise. Lapis scowled and backed away from the stove as black smoke billowed from the pan. Peridot shoved the water nymph out of the way and grabbed the handle. The hot metal scorched her skin causing Peridot to hiss and curse as she yanked her hand back, dropping the pan with a noisy clatter. Fuck, fuck, Peridot chanted. Pieces of burnt beef scattered on the ground. The flames rose from inside the shallow basin, licking at the metal grate. Smoke curled from little fire, filling the kitchen. Peridot held her hot hand, cursing to herself mentally and trying to figure out what she could use to put out the fire before it spread.
A stream of water splashed passed her, sizzling against the hot metal. Peridot turned to see Lapis standing by the sink. Water floated through the air in a steady torrent as she manipulated the liquid. The water quelled the fire, but the smoke was blanketing the kitchen in thick, black vapors. It filled Peridot's lungs, causing her to a cough and her eyes to water. She could hear alarmed voices in the distance. Shit! Peridot grabbed Lapis, pulling her away from the sink. The floating water splattered onto the ground. Peridot forced Lapis to duck behind the island as a group of people rushed into the kitchen. They shouted orders at each other and scrambled to contain the mess. Hidden by the cover of smoke, Peridot and Lapis snuck passed the frantic group and ran back to their room.
Once they were in the safety of the bedroom, Peridot collapsed onto her bed. Her chest burned, her eyes watered, her hand stung and she smelt like smoke. Lapis quietly sat down next to Peridot, hands folded in her lap. Peridot looked over at her. Her tan face was streaked with soot; her hair was speckled with ash. She looked horrible, but Peridot imagined she looked the same way. She sighed heavily, closing her eyes. That had been a close one. They nearly burned down the kitchen, and Lapis was almost discovered. Pearl and Sapphire were going to be furious when they found out. Peridot groaned, shaking her head. She was going to be in so much trouble. All over a cooking lesson.
"That could have gone better," Peridot commented with an exasperated huff. Lapis nodded, solemnly, in agreement. They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Peridot knew they shouldn't be laughing, but she could not help it. Something that simple and mundane turned into an utter disaster. "You are a terrible cook!"
"I'm sorry. I guess fire and I don't get along."
"No kidding!" Lapis snorted, rolling her eyes. It had been a while since the gang had come to talk with Lapis. They had been leaving them alone for the most part. Occasionally someone would poke their head in, but they never said much or somtimes they would pull Peridot outside and quickly brief her on their progress or events happening outside the Temple. This gave Lapis and Peridot a lot of time together. So, as promised, Peridot decided it was time to teach Lapis to cook. The first night had no complications. Even the next night was uneventful. Luck was not on their side tonight. Peridot could not figure out how Lapis had even started that blaze. Peridot swore she turned around only for a minute, and everything was in smoke. It looked like they would have to stay clear of the kitchen for a while. Peridot slapped her uninjured palm against her legs and swung herself up into a sitting position.
"Might as well get cleaned up then. I need to attend to this burn." Lapis agreed with her, wiping tears away from her eyes. They both stood up, gathering their stuff for the spring and chatting idly. It was funny how Peridot was getting used to having Lapis as a roommate. Though she considered Steven and the others like family, she never felt comfortable enough to share space with them. Each of them had offered, but Peridot was firm in having her own room. Peridot felt strangely at ease with Lapis despite the nagging voice in the back of her head. It reminded her of the things that Lapis had done. That her family was dead because of her; her village was gone. If Peridot was completely honest with herself, she growing more indifferent. Making sure that the coast was clear, they made their way to the springs, talking about how badly the cooking lesson turned out. Lapis thanked Peridot for taking the time to teach her. Peridot could not help but blush but brush it off as nothing.
Lapis went first. Peridot sat down on the bench quietly, bandaging up her burned hand. They had stopped by the infirmary to get some supplies before going to the springs. It had been over a month and a half since they rescued Steven, and Lapis, from Jasper's dungeon. Jasper had gone a rampage looking for Lapis. Villages were burned; many lives were lost. The others kept Peridot informed, but she refused to tell Lapis. She did not need that burden. Jasper's outburst raised a lot of questions. With someone as powerful as Jasper with the assistance of four other elemental nymphs, what was so important about Lapis? Why was Jasper so desperate to find her? As heartless as it sounded, it would seem like Lapis would easily be expendable and could easily be overpowered. Lapis was strong but not against a Titan and four other nymphs; though she did give them a slight advantage. Sapphire theorized it was a blow to Jasper's ego. A subordinate, her primary weapon nonetheless, left her, and that could be seen as a sign of weakness.
It was even more crucial, for their safety, to find Lapis' home. Steven and the rest were working diligently to locate it. The Earth had changed and shifted so much that they were finding it difficult to trace. Even Lapis was confused by the transformation of the planet. Lately, Sapphire had been expressing her unease. She felt like this quest was going to end tragically and her intuition was usually accurate. Peridot pondered what could go wrong or what they would end up discovering. Or maybe it was not what they would discover but that they would be discovered. Peridot shuddered at the thought. What would happen to them? What would happen to Lapis?
"Peridot?" Peridot jumped when Lapis' face filled her vision. Her damp hair curled around her cheeks and fell on her shoulders. She was wearing a white blouse and a pair of black pants. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Uh—yeah. Yeah. Just thinking." Lapis sat down next Peridot, her towel draped over her arms.
"Seems like pretty heavy thinking," Lapis stated. Peridot removed her glasses, whipping away the mist and sighed. She had given herself a headache with all the negative thoughts swirling in her mind. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to alleviate the pain.
"Yeah. A little bit."
"I am sorry for causing you so much trouble."
"Huh? No. You aren't causing…"
"Don't lie to me." Peridot ran her hand through her hair. Lapis was not causing trouble; however, presence was dangerous. That was not her fault, though; that was on Peridot. Peridot knew she was the one who caused all this. It was her hasty decision to rescue Lapis that put them in this situation. Lapis was not to blame, and she should not feel responsible.
"Look, I made this choice, and I am the one who has to deal with consequences. This is my problem."
"So I am just your problem?"
"That's not what I mean! I…"
"Peridot," Lapis interrupted, sternly. She reached over a placed her hand on Peridot's dressed hand. Peridot glanced at Lapis' long fingers lying on top of hers, and her heart jumped. "You aren't the only one who made a choice. I could have said no. I could have stayed with Jasper, but I made the decision to go with you. You can't shoulder all of that blame onto yourself. Both of us have to face the consequences."
"I guess." Peridot was not convinced. She knew that Lapis made a good point. They both made this choice, and they both had to accept the repercussions. She could not shake that feeling that this was all her fault. If she had not persisted, Lapis would not have agreed to come with her. They would have rescued Steven, returned back to the Temple and went about their lives as normal. Lapis would still be under Jasper's influence and being abused. She would continue to destroy villages and lives, unaware of the Titan's deceit. Was that any better than now? Villages and lives were still being destroyed because of Lapis. They were going about their lives, but now they were harboring a fugitive and risking the lives of everyone at the Temple. Either way, the situations were shitty.
"Do you regret it?" Lapis asked softly. She moved her hand away from Peridot's and pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"Sometimes," Peridot confessed. "Do you?"
"Sometimes."
"At least, we share that in common," Peridot commented, bitterly. They sat there for a moment, quiet and contemplative, feeling the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. Each carried their own burden. There was no turning back. There were no second chances. Their fates had been changed by the choices that they had made. Hopefully, together, they could share the load they had placed on themselves and help each other through the difficult times ahead.